The ganja coast of Goa is also a cocaine coast

17 Feb 201806:22am IST

17 Feb 201806:22am IST

Report byBASURI DESAI basuri@herald-goa.com

Anjuna resident held with MDMA, cocaine; Police suspect drugs were smuggled as these are not easily available in the state at the moment

PANJIM: 67 grams of MDMA and about 10 grams of cocaine may not make it to the record books of the biggest hauls of synthetic drugs in India. But it does prove almost beyond doubt that Goa, as it was once described in a book, is not just a ganja coast, but very much a cocaine and synthetic drugs coast. And there is a Goan hand or hands, in these international drug deals which lead to synthetic drugs being smuggled into Goa.

The arrest of an Anjuna resident by Crime Branch on Friday morning confirmed that synthetic drugs are being smuggled into and sold on Goa’s coast, despite a stern security check on the State’s borders and at the airport.

According to the Crime Branch, early Friday morning a raid was conducted and one Menino Felix Fernandes (58) of Prise Wado Anjuna was found in possession of synthetic drugs, 67 grams of MDMA and 9.39 grams of cocaine all worth Rs 7.5 lakh.

“Acting swiftly on information, we caught the accused along with the contraband. The accused was also earlier involved in a murder case,” a Crime Branch officer said.

According to senior police officers, Fernandes has been dealing in drugs for decades. An officer said that he was arrested some 15 to 20 years back with a consignment of heroine.

He was also accused in a murder case but was acquitted. He was also allegedly involved in assault case in Calangute.

Fernandes was operating a beach shack some years ago and now owns a resort in Anjuna near the beach.

Sources on the coast said that the contraband was smuggled into Anjuna by a foreigner from Amsterdam in November. While leaving the State in mid-January, this had been sold to some local dealers in Anjuna. The traders suspect that the drug is being sold at parties on the Anjuna coast.

“It was not possible to carry back the contraband, so the person who was here sold it to the dealers in Anjuna. We suspect it is the same drug as such drugs are not easily available in market right now,” sources said.